Ghazaryan believes equal conditions for all business people may be created in Armenia in one or two years

YEREVAN, May 15. /ARKA/. The government's efforts to create equal conditions for all businesses in Armenia will produce results within one or two years, Arsen Ghazaryan, the chairman of the Union of Manufacturers and Employers of Armenia, said Thursday at a news conference.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, speaking at a regular Cabinet meeting, informed the ministers that he met entrepreneurs and bankers on Wednesday, gave them time for going out of shadow and set the deadline, July 1, for doing it.

“It means nobody will enjoy preferences and everybody will do business in equal environment,” Ghazaryan said. “Business people reacted to this positively, since this demand was predictable, but we'll see how far the government will go to put this principle into practice, since this rule applies to both sides and both sides must observe them.”

In his words, it is especially important for those entrepreneurs who are connected with the state-governing institutions and those enjoying more preferences – either government officials or large businessmen ought to observe these rules.

“The business community wants to believe that this will be another and effective step, which will make considerable changes in the country’s business environment,” he said adding that is impossible to do this within one day, and therefore, results will be seen later.

Ghazaryan said that there was a similar governmental initiative yet eight years ago, and the then crackdown on shadow dealings produced some effect – tax flow into the government budget intensified, favoritism in some areas lessened and oligarchs became more cautious.

Despite some progress was visible, he said, it was difficult to reach necessary results.

Ghazaryan said he believe that if entrepreneurs and officials stick to new principles, considerable success may be reached in one or two years and added that entrepreneurs want to believe.

“Yesterday we saw political will of the country’s leadership and we hope that necessary steps will be taken,” he said. “Entrepreneurs’, not only officials’ good will is needed, since it will be very difficult and painful to them to deter themselves from taking excess profits.” --0---